My Top Three

I'm often asked: "If you could give three pieces of advice to someone who wants to make SIMPLE healthy changes...what would those be?"

Well, I'll tell you. These are simple, sustainable and realistic.

Drink more water.

I can hear you...you're like: "Ughhhhhhh I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWW." 

K. Do it.

Here's what I do to make sure I'm getting enough water (yes, sometimes even I don't drink enough): 

1. I always make sure water is available. I try to have a bottle with me at all times. 

2. I drink about a litre of water first thing in the morning. Before my coffee (yes I drink coffee), before I eat, before anything. Adding lemon to that water is even better.  Lemon makes some people gag or feel sick, so don't add lemon if that's the case with you...no one wants to gag first thing in the morning (or listen to someone gag). Just drink a lot of water first thing. It will flush out your system and prepare your body for the day.

3. Put an ugly cup or mug in the bathroom. Something you can't miss. Every time you pee, fill up the ugly mug and drink it. A vicious cycle, but a healthy one!

P.S. Tap water is fine. That's all I'm going to say about that right now...even though there is a LOT I could say...anyway, I digress. Let's not make this simple step complicated.

Add in, don't take out.

What do you mean? Well...

The trend these days is to take something OUT of your diet that is "unhealthy" Take out carbs, take out fats, take out grains, take out gluten...you get it.

My approach is simple. Stop taking things out and start adding things in.

ONCE A WEEK, buy something new at the grocery store and ADD IT to your weekly meals. 

One week, spinach. The next week, keep the spinach and add in a pepper. The following week, spinach, peppers and melon. Yada yada yada, before you know it-there won't be room for any of the bad stuff because you've added in so much of the good stuff. Simple, right? Try it!

Also...don't buy take-out food. Make your own. Make a lot. Have leftovers.

Take probiotics.

I'm all for probiotics. Especially when you're taking any sort of medication, antibiotics or feeling lousy. But I will recommend taking them year round. They can't hurt you, they can only help you. They increase the healthy bacteria in your gut, aid in digestion, and support your immune system! Yes please! Whether you decide to take them through food (yogurt, kefir and fermented foods to name a few) or supplements, it's always going to be a good choice.

So there you have it! My top three pieces of advice to a healthier you. Not bad right? Mind...blown? Probably not. But that's a good thing! Nutrition and living a healthy life doesn't have to be difficult. It can be about making simple changes when they are convenient for you. 

Find something you can stick with, and go for it. Let me know how it goes! Good luck!